Black Panther – Ryan Coogler

“You’re a good man with a good heart. And it’s hard for a good man to be king”

King T’Chaka – John Kani

Oh what could have been. I can remember the excitement and anticipation of this film, following Black Panther’s first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, but oh how I was so disappointingly let down. It’s classic Marvel not quite hitting the mark. I do love a good superhero punch up but I just can’t get my head around Marvel’s inconsistency, particularly when it comes to their origin stories. Following the aftermath of Civil War, viewers were left itching for the Black Panther backstory and it had so much potential. But instead of reaching the heights of Iron Man (pardon the pun), we are left feeling a bit unsatisfied. There’s not much wrong with the acting, nor the cinematography – this is not exactly the film that really is going to be claiming top prize in either categories. The score got some serious plaudits, although I’m personally not that fussed by it despite the use of Kendrick Lamar’s content. The costumes are great and CGI is as excellent as every other Marvel film, but what’s you get for your $200 million. 

Let’s start with the bits I did like. The opening hour is great. You get a great idea of how advanced Wankanda is, despite retaining a lot of their African heritage. This is reflected really nicely in the costumes and weaponry which both look traditional but have major advances woven in. But fundamentally what I love about the opening is how, more or less, it actually feels like the beginning of an origin story. You get an introduction to the characters, the setting, a tribal battle for power in the homeland, the villain, a cool car chase, nice suits. It ticks most boxes, although I personally would have preferred a little more backstory, but I’ll get on to that. The costumes are fantastic, and the Black Panther suit gets an awesome upgrade from T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) sister Shuri (Letita Wright), swapping from the Black and white suit that featured in Civil War, to a wicked black and purple suit with kinetic energy redistribution powers. Neat. I find Shuri a little annoying at times, but I love the fact that the super brainy tech expert is young woman who has the balls to tell the King what to do (even if it is her brother). Nice touch Marvel. The first proper fight scene in South Korea is fun, with a cool simulator controlled car chase through the streets – this is the over-the-top scenes I like from Marvel, the more grandiose stuff really annoys me and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Unfortunately, is about as much I like in the film. After the capture of one of the best (for me anyway), relatively minor villains in the MCU, a new antagonist emerges. From the badass, zero fucks given South African Arms Dealer, Klaw (Andy Serkis), to mediocre ex US special forces soldier Erik Stevens, self-titled Kilmonger , (Michael B. Jordan), who I find a stupid inclusion. A big shame really, as I am a fan of Jordan. My logic is this: there is absolutely no reason to bring a random family member into existence for the sake of having a squabble over the throne, particularly as they could have given T’Chaka a full backstory and actually shown us how good of a ruler he was, rather than relying on other characters alluding to it, and more of a history of where the Black Panther came from, etc. T’Challa could therefore, also get full backstory and we could see his development from prince to king, and have this straddle the events of Civil War. Klaw could then remain as the key antagonist, have his theft of the vibranium he sells to Ultron in Avengers 2 near the start, and a bigger, better concluding battle with him at the end. On a side note, the two Panthers fighting at the end in contrasting black/purple/gold suits is pretty cool.

It’s a frustrating film; with a lot of potential it feels like a wasted opportunity to combine elements of the wider MCU, with a proper origin story. It’s not what I would call a bad film, and like most Marvel films it is re-watchable. However, it is frustrating nonetheless.

Awards
3 Oscars – 
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Best Achievement in Production Design

1 BAFTA –
Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects

Ratings
Cinematography – 6/10
Storyline – 4/10
Editing – 7/10
Sound/Score – 7/10
Acting – 7/10
Overall – 6.5/10